AI summary
US airstrikes in Somalia are accused of forcing civilians into flood-prone areas, effectively weaponizing El Niño weather to endanger women and children.
AI-generated summary. Check the original reporting for context and accuracy.
US forces accused of ‘weaponising’ Somalia’s floods by trapping women and children in the path of El Niño
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Exclusive: Coordinated airstrikes on territory held by al-Shabaab are driving the civilian population to find refuge alongside a river where rising water levels are a threat to safety. Is it a deliberate military strategy?The water was rising rapidly. It had already reached Cayni Ali’s waist. Her home, five metres from the flooded River Juba in southern Somalia, never stood a chance. There was nowhere to go. Ali’s city of Jilib was under attack. Repeated airstrikes, said the mother of six, were pinning its population beside the rising river.“The drones come all the time,” said the 27-year-old. “We hear them constantly. They kill animals, civilians. The town is big but destruction is everywhere.” Continue reading...
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